Abstract

Microfluidics is a new trend in medical instrumentation to
miniaturize the size of medical devices used in laboratories. Bacterial cell manipulation can be done using “Travelling wave dielectrophoresis(TwDEP)” technique on a Lab on Chip device. In traditional DEP method, polarized cells get either attracted or repelled from electrodes depending on their dielectric properties and size, hence, get separated vertically. In order to collect these separated cells at the outlet hydraulic drag force is required. Whereas in the case of TwDEP cells get vertically separated like normal DEP method and along with it they also get pumped at output, horizontally due to travelling wave. This travelling wave is generated by applying voltage with phase difference at each electrode. Such voltage creates non-uniform electric field with phase shift and hence has force on cells on both the axes. Such devices can be connected to external electric circuits and can be used as bio-sensors.